


Write Off

by astudyinfic



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Author Alec, Author Magnus, Bad Parent Robert Lightwood, Because I can, Fluff, Good parent Asmodeus, M/M, Misunderstandings, Secret Identities, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 06:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15625068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: Alec Lightwood always wanted to be a writer but familial pressure sent him into law instead.  But he never gave up on his dream and started publishing under a pseudonym, Gideon Day.Magnus Bane always wanted to be a writer but the twists and turns of life led him to work at a coffee shop he now owns.  But he never gave up on his dream and started publishing under a pseudonym, Augustus Darkhallow.Alec loves Magnus.  Alec hates Augustus.Magnus loves Alec.  Magnus hates Gideon.How do you come out and say, "My love, I wrote all those books you hate”?   Neither of them really knows.





	1. Past

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thanks to my beta [RedOrchid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedOrchid) who talked me through so many panic attacks over this fic, to my cover artist [alistoney](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alistoney) who is just perfect, and to [MissArsenicChaos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissArsenicChaos) for your amazing art.

For as long as he could remember, words were a part of his life.  Alec’s earliest memory was of sitting in Isabelle’s nursery, reading her stories from the many books they had.  From where she gurgled in her crib, Alec liked to believe Izzy was listening attentively. “I’m going to write my own stories one day, Izzybelle,” he promised her, and the smile he received in return convinced him his sister liked the idea as much as he did.  

As Izzy grew up, then Jace and later Max joined the family, Alec took the role of big brother very seriously.  His siblings were always getting in trouble, despite his best efforts to keep them safe. Neither Izzy nor Jace shared his love of reading, much happier sneaking out to spend time with their friends, something Alec often took the blame for if their parents found out.  “You are the oldest, Alec. You are responsible for them,” Robert chastised and Alec said nothing. Nodding with his eyes cast downward and hands clasped behind his back, he accepted any punishment that came his way, knowing that it was better him than Izzy or Jace. “We expect more from you, Alec.  Figure it out.”

The expectations.  Those weighed down on Alec, pressing him into the ground to the point that sometimes it became difficult to breathe.  His parents, founders of the prestigious Lightwood and Lightwood Law Agency in Manhattan, did not give him any options in his life.  He would go to college. He would go to law school. He would come work for them. Marry a nice woman and settle down with the perfect family to start the cycle all over again.  Simple as that. What Alec wanted didn’t matter. This was the expectations for the eldest Lightwood and his parents would settle for nothing less.

It didn’t matter that Alec knew what he wanted to do since he was a child.  It didn’t matter that he knew no woman would capture his heart. Alec knew he was different, that he would never be the son his parents wanted or expected him to be.  His heart and mind were set on things that would bring disappointment and embarrassment to his family. And if there was one thing Alec couldn’t handle, it was not being enough for the people in his life.  So he did his best to tamp down on his desires. He didn’t need to write. He didn’t need love. Those things were just frivolous activities and desires that would mean nothing to him for the rest of his life.  

Maybe if he told himself that enough, he would start to believe it.

* * *

On the other side of New York, lived another little boy from a very different background with very similar dreams.  At eight years old, Magnus was quite used to his parents yelling at him for getting lost in his books. Without even looking for him, Asmodeus would yell, "Magnus!  Put that book down and come in here to help your mother." From the moment he knew what books were, his parents’ exasperated voices seemed to always be calling for him to pull his nose out of the book and do his chores.  It wasn't that he didn't want to be helpful. His parents were loving and kind, always doing whatever was necessary to make sure he had a good life. They didn't have a lot of money, but they were happy.

So he didn't want to get in trouble.  It was just...

When he found an interesting book, Magnus couldn't put it down.  Words captivated him from the moment he could read, and sometimes he would forget about the rest of the world.  He lost himself in the worlds and the stories, picturing himself as the hero of the novel, and not just some kid from Brooklyn who came from a somewhat unconventional family and looked different than most of the kids in his class.  

“Sorry, Papa!” Magnus would call, knowing that if his father was yelling for him now, then his mom had been calling him for a while.  Leaving his book on his bed, he would sneak down the hall and peek into the kitchen to make sure they weren’t _too_ mad before he walked in.  His mother was often cooking while his father stood close, stealing bites as they laughed together.  Warmth filled their whole home, practically glowing when his parents were in the same room with one another.  The Banes were the happiest couple Magnus ever knew, and he was thankful for his parents.

Teachers often accused Magnus of having his head in the clouds.  They only saw the happy family life, the loving parents and small but comfortable apartment.  They didn’t see the years he and his mother spent in the homeless shelter after her parents kicked her out for getting pregnant.  They didn’t see the years spent wondering if they would have a roof over their heads or food to eat. They only saw the happy lives they lived after his father found them and the three of them started their lives together.  

Before his father arrived, books were Magnus’s escape.  Even after Asmodeus was part of his life, Magnus found a freedom in books that children couldn’t get anywhere else.  It didn’t even matter to him what he was reading. One of the volunteers at the shelter was an art history major and found it hilarious the day she found five-year-old Magnus reading about Michelangelo.  The next week was spent trying to convince everyone that he knew the man personally. Everyone played along, acting shocked at how good he looked for having been alive for as long as he had.

Sometimes Magnus thought that might have been the first time he realized the power of telling a story, the joy it could bring both to the one experiencing it and the one sharing it.

* * *

One night, not long after he started at high school, the Lightwood family sat down for their mandatory family dinner.  It was Robert and Maryse’s idea to promote the belief that they were a happy, close-knit family to their clients. “We sit down and eat dinner together as a family every night,” he’d heard both of his parents say too many times over the course of his life.  What they left out was the jilted conversation, the demands on their children with no promise of anything in return. It was a chance to tell them everything they were doing wrong in their lives and how to fix it.

Long story short, the kids hated every second of it.

As Alec pushed around the food on his plate, looking forward to being set free for the night, he barely listened to what his parents were saying until they turned their venom on Izzy.  “You need to stop dressing like such a tramp. You are thirteen but look like you’re trolling for fifty-year-old men to pay your bills. It isn’t the right image and it will stop, immediately.”  

Seeing his baby sister’s lip tremble and hating his parents for making her think she was anything less than perfect, Alec spoke up, knowing full well what he was getting himself into.  “I’ve decided to major in English Literature and Creative Writing when I go to college.” It had been his dream for years, not that anyone had bothered asking. He’d never said it out loud for fear of the reaction he would get.  But if it was a decision between him getting their ire or Izzy, Alec would take it every time.

Robert opened his mouth to say something no doubt cutting and derogatory when Maryse surprised them all.  “Actually, Alec, that isn’t a bad idea.” The whole table gaped at her and Alec wondered if maybe - just maybe - she cared about him beyond the image he could portray for their family.

His hope was dashed a moment later when she continued, “I mean, it is a useless major and wouldn’t be my first choice for you, but think about it, Robert.  Law school is becoming more and more competitive, and the Lightwood name might not be enough to get him in. You need to have something that makes you different, makes you stand out.  A lawyer who took classes to be a writer, that might be enough to grab their attention.”

Satisfied that he’d drawn the attention away from Izzy, even at the expense of his own dreams,  Alec stiffened his lip, willed his tears not to fall and gave his parents a terse nod. As the first-born, it was his duty to carry on the family legacy.  He’d go into law like they wanted. He’d be the perfect son. But, he wouldn’t give up writing. He wouldn’t give up his books. He just didn’t need to talk about words with anyone.  Because if no one knew, then no one could take it away from him, right? After that dinner, he started to write in secret, complicated stories that took twists and turns that no one would ever suspect but in the end, the hero always came out on top.  

Alec wrote the story he wanted to live.

He kept his secret well, graduating from high school and getting accepted to NYU in their political science program.  While his mother had supported his decision to study creative writing, Alec didn’t want them to pull the joy out of it.  They would demand to see what he was writing, make sure it was ‘appropriate’. And he would cave in the hopes of family harmony.  Writing was too important for Alec to let his parents use it as ammunition against him.

So when it came time to choose a major, political science won out.  He didn’t even mention the writing program. His parents claimed that course of study would give him a head start on law classes but as far as Alec was concerned, they were just dull.  He fit in a few creative writing courses, hidden as general education requirements, but for all anyone knew, his dream of being a writer ended at that dinner table long ago.

It turned out, Alec was very good at keeping secrets about himself.  It felt like a double life, the one lived for everyone else’s benefit, and the one he had inside his own mind.  The one inside his mind was a much nicer place to live.

Which was why he wrote about that world.  A world where a man like him could be the hero.  

* * *

No matter how happy your life is, there is always something that can go wrong.  In Magnus’s case, his life went about as wrong as possible. A late day at school, an inattentive driver, and a second later, Magnus’s life got turned upside down.  

He didn’t handle his mother’s death well, falling in with the wrong crowd and ignoring his studies.  When he started missing school regularly, his father put him in counseling, something Magnus would always be grateful for, even if he fought against it at the time.  Through several tear-filled sessions, his counselor assigned him some homework from his sessions, to pick up a book and start reading again. “You said it was a passion of yours before you lost your mother.  It might be a way to reconnect with that happiness.” And she couldn’t have been more right. From the moment he curled up on his bed that night, determined to do this if only to tell her it didn’t work, Magnus was drawn back into the stories he loved.

And more than the stories were the characters.  He wanted to be friends with them, fight with them, in some cases date them.  Magnus found himself wanting more information, stories about their lives before the novel, and after.  He wanted to know hopes and motivations, dreams and fears. He wanted them to be real people.

With his love of reading rekindled, Magnus started attending classes once more, where he found a kindred soul in his English teacher. That teacher pushed him further down the road to his destiny.  “Magnus, your book reports are always the most imaginative in the class,” Mr. Fade said after the bell rang for the day and the rest of the students already filtered out. “You are the only one who gives me a section entitled ‘What I would have done differently’.  Have you ever considered writing your own stories?”

Until that moment, no, Magnus hadn’t considered that at all, but once the idea was in his head, he couldn’t get it out.  Instead of a book report for the next term, Mr. Fade assigned Magnus to write his own story, and then his teacher promised to respond with a book report of his own, based on Magnus’s work.  The idea of giving the teacher homework might have been the main motivation for doing it, but as he started to write and saw the characters in his head come to life on the paper, Magnus was hooked.  His story was seventeen chapters and nearly sixty pages long, and Mr. Fade looked slightly terrified when Magnus handed over the stack of papers.

Three days later, Magnus received a book report of his own, with plenty of tips on how to engage with the reader more, how to make his characters more well rounded.  But mostly, the report was a glowing review of Magnus’s work and filled with encouragement for him to keep going. “Your characters sound like people that are living and breathing as we speak. You have filled them with so much hope and despair, their emotions come jumping off the page at you.”

Magnus poured everything he had into the characters, making them people he knew.  His protagonist was almost always based off one of his parents, the two strongest people he’d ever known in his life.  

After that, Magnus knew what he wanted to do with his life.  With a little help from his teacher, he got an interview at NYU and was accepted into their creative writing program.  He expanded on that story he first submitted for a high school class assignment. The world grew with every word he put on the page and his excitement along with it.

When Magnus graduated from high school, he had turned that one assignment into a full novel.  He only shared it with his father and his teacher but when they both enjoyed it, Magnus took a chance and submitted it for publication.  He liked his story, his father liked it, and so did his teacher. Maybe it was good enough to share with the rest of the world too.

Magnus hoped it would, if only so people could fall in love with the characters, every one of them based off the people who meant the most to him in the whole world.  

* * *

Writing was his passion, the thing that made Alec feel better than anything else in the world.  It gave him an outlet, it gave him confidence. It was the most important piece in his life aside from his siblings.  

But he didn’t think he could share it with them.

He didn’t trust his father not to ruin it somehow, so no word of it could get back to him.  Alec continued to write in secret, feeling guilty when Izzy confronted him one day about the fact that he didn’t write anymore.   “Alec, what happened to all your stories?” she asked, after starting at NYU as well, majoring in biochemistry and pre-med. “You used to write all the time and now, nothing.”

Alec shrugged and gave her a small smile.  “I need to focus on my studies, Iz. Law school is hard to get into and once I’m there, the coursework will be grueling.  No time for hobbies when I need to graduate.”

“You don’t have to go to law school, you know.  You are allowed to do things you enjoy.” Izzy glared at him, arms crossed over his chest and if anyone could be intimidating _and_ a foot shorter than him, it was his sister.  

Alec knew what she was thinking.  She thought he was going to law school and giving up his dream because his father demanded it.  While he might not be comfortable telling her about the writing, this he could defend. “I want to go to law school, Iz.  I want to help people and this way, I can do it. Besides, we both know Jace is going to need a lawyer sooner or later. Who else but me is going to put up with him?”  Alec smirked at Izzy and she laughed, the conversation thankfully forgotten.

Despite his workload, despite the pressures placed on him by family and school and life, Alec continued to write.  By the time he was ready to graduate, he’d managed to complete a novel that made him proud enough to send off to some publishers. The day he received a contract with one of them to publish the book he’d worked so hard on, Alec nearly cried.  Worried that his father might find out, Alec requested to be published under a pseudonym, Gideon Day, a combination of his middle name and a randomly chosen surname.

The first time he saw his book on the shelves, Alec bought four copies and gave one to each of his siblings, telling them they should read it and tell him what they thought. And despite the fact that it went on to be a bestseller, and Gideon Day became well known in certain book fandoms overnight, the best review he received was when his siblings all told him how much they liked the book.  After hearing their glowing praise, in a fit of bravery, he told them he was the writer. Nothing in the world compared to the feeling of their excited cheers, their pride, their love. They promised to keep it a secret from Robert, but they pestered him almost constantly for updates on the next book.

It motivated him to keep writing.  Even as he entered law school and his life got more hectic.

In his second year of law school, Alec snapped when his father tried to arrange not just an internship for him but also a girlfriend.   Putting his foot down, Alec came out as gay and told his father where to go. And that was that.

Not that Robert gave up easily.  He sent call after call, email after email to Alec with internships that were ‘worthy’ of someone with the last name Lightwood.   So at the end of the year when it came time to choose his internship, Alec bypassed every high profile firm that fought to have a Lightwood on their staff and chose a non-profit firm that represented kids in the foster system.  

Robert was furious.  Maryse was proud yet quiet about it, not wanting to upset Robert anymore than he already was.  Jace cried when Alec told him, as he explained that after everything Jace went through after his parents died, it seemed only right for him to try to help other kids in the same situation. By the end of the summer, Alec knew that he would practice family law for the rest of his life. He wanted to do something that mattered, not something that would make him a lot of money.

He also knew that people triumphing over all odds would become an important part of his stories.  Children without families finding ones of their own. People with parents who didn’t approve of them, succeeding despite everything that was thrown at them.  No matter the situation, no matter how difficult, his heroes would always win.

* * *

Halfway through his first semester in college, a letter arrived in the mail.  With trembling hands, Magnus opened it and gazed upon his future. “They’re going to publish it!” he cried out, too excited to do anything but stare at the letter.  “They’re going to publish my novel. I’m an author.”

Asmodeus hugged his son and beamed proudly.  “I always knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you, son.  And I know your mother is too.”

But with this letter, came a dilemma.  In his first week of school, Magnus met a girl.  She was beautiful and intelligent, a writing major like himself.  Magnus loved her almost instantly and wanted nothing more than to live happily ever after with her.  He would do anything to make her happy, including reconsider publishing the novel that was his pride and joy.

Camille believed that literature had to be deep and poetic, intense and not straightforward.  And she believed that the antithesis of literature was urban fantasy. The very genre that Magnus loved to write.  She would break up with him immediately if she ever found out he wrote this novel. “Maybe I shouldn’t accept this,” he said after a few minutes, wondering if he should give up on his dream to please his girlfriend.  “Camille always says it would be the ultimate humiliation as a writer to publish urban fantasy.”

A fire burned in his father’s eyes at the mention of giving up because of Camille.  “Magnus Bane, if you throw away this opportunity for any reason, let alone Camille, I will be furious.  Publish under a pseudonym if you need to, but do not give up.”

He didn’t want to give up.  Writing had always been his dream.  So publishing under a pseudonym would give him the best of both worlds.  Father and son discussed it for days before settling on a name they both loved.  Augustus, another name that meant the same thing as Magnus. Great. “It’s what you are, son.  You deserve that name more than anyone I know.” The last name was harder. In the end, they picked Darkhallow.  It was moody and dramatic enough to fit both Magnus’s novel and the author himself. “You have to admit you are the most dramatic person either of us knows,” Asmodeus laughed and Magnus reluctantly agreed.

So when the first novel of his _Downworld_ series was released under a name chosen by Magnus and his father, they were both delighted.  By then, Magnus had seen Camille for what she was and left her behind, relief flooding his heart the moment he broke free of her.  Her absence made the celebration that much brighter. Asmodeus kept several copies around his house even after Magnus made enough money to get his own place and move out on his own.

With one book published and several more planned, Magnus chose to leave school rather than waste money continuing with a program that wasn’t really helpful.  He took a job at a coffee shop to be able to get out of the house on occasion. While he didn’t need the money, it was boring sitting home all day writing without social interaction. With his new job and his writing career,  Magnus thought his life was turning around for the better.

When his second book was published, Magnus bought the shop from the owner and settled in to live his best possible life.  There was only one thing that was missing, but he hoped that the right person would eventually come along and sweep him off his feet.  

Exactly like what happened in his books.

* * *

After coming out, Alec found more and more excuses not to go home.  One night, after saying he was too busy studying to come to dinner, he found a small coffee shop in Brooklyn.  Despite the splashes of color all over the store, it was warm and homey in a way the Lightwood family home never was.  Bookbag slung over his shoulder, Alec pushed open the door and took a seat near the fireplace.

There weren’t many people there, though Alec assumed that with it being the middle of the week, most people were having dinner rather than going out for coffee.  He was trying to decide what to order when someone set an oversized coffee mug down in front of him along with a cookie. “You look far too upset to be sitting here without something sweet.”  Alec looked up and saw the most beautiful man he’d ever seen.

“I... I’m not upset,” he stuttered, wondering what he would ever do if he had to examine an attractive man in court one day.  “Just...looking for something new, I guess.” Mostly true, as far as Alec was concerned. He was looking for a new place to study, a new place to hide from his family.  A new face to gaze upon when he was avoiding his work?

Whatever it was Alec was looking for, as he looked into those warm golden brown eyes, he knew that he had found it.  

"What new thing are you looking for?" the man asked, taking a seat across from Alec.  The coffee shop was oddly quiet, Alec didn't remember the last time he'd been someplace other than his apartment where it was just him and one other person.  Usually, that kind of one-on-one attention would make him uncomfortable, but the man smiled at him and Alec relaxed.

Sure, his heart beat a little faster and he tripped over his words, but that was normal when faced with any guy, let alone the most attractive one Alec ever saw.  

"Had a fight with my family a while back and just keep finding excuses not to be there," he said, the words slipping out against his will.  Alec hated sharing personal information with strangers but it was so easy to do that with this man whose name he didn't even know.

"You are welcome to stay as long as you like.  Normally I close around eleven but if you need a place to be, I'm happy to keep it open later."  He smiled at Alec and Alec's cheeks flushed.

Judging by the man's apron, he must work here and Alec gave him a small smile.  "I'm sorry. I'm keeping you from your work. Thank you for the coffee. I'm happy to pay for it.  I wasn't sure what to order, otherwise, I would have done so already." He bit his lip, trying desperately to stop the endless flow of words that seemed to be coming from his mouth.  

Thankfully the attractive man didn't seem to mind and smiled warmly at him.  "Not to worry, darling. It's on the house. I happen to know the owner and I am certain he will be more than fine with me giving one little drink and cookie to the most handsome customer I've had all night."  He winked at Alec and made his way back to the counter, leaving Alec staring at his back in disbelief. Wasn't this the sort of thing that only happened in movies?

Or books...

Taking a sip of his coffee, Alec sighed in contentment and settled into work.  He knew the last year of law school was the worst but no one really told you just how bad it would be.  Or if they did, you thought they were exaggerating.

They weren't exaggerating.  

Several times, Alec thought maybe death would be preferable to finals and papers and stress, but that was his more dramatic creative side speaking and not an actual cry for help.  But, it still left him very much alive and, therefore, struggling to keep up with the workload.

So as he sipped some of the best coffee he'd ever tasted and ate the cookie that was just the right amount of sweet and crumbly, Alec fell into a rhythm with his work and before he knew it, three hours had passed.

Magnus watched him work, only interrupting on occasion when Alec was too enticing to ignore completely.  But as it neared midnight, he could hardly keep his eyes open. "Pretty boy, I know I said I would stay up late with you but I'm falling asleep on my feet.  Would you mind if I kicked you out so I could go to bed?"

"I'm so sorry," Alec said, realizing just how late he'd kept him.  "I didn't know how long I'd been here. You could have made me leave an hour ago."  

He smiled at Alec and shrugged.  "Yes, I could have. But you were so working so intently, I felt bad interrupting.  It wasn't until I fell asleep leaning on the espresso machine that I realized I really should close up."  

Alec shoved all of his things into his bag.  "Is there anything I can help you with? Take out the trash?  Sweep the floor? I feel bad for making you stay so late when you didn't have to."

He knew the man already had an idea in mind when he placed his finger over his own lips and hummed.  "Well, there is one thing. Your phone number? I'd like to see you sometime when I am not smelling like work and your mind isn't on _Marbury vs Madison_.  Law student?"

“Yeah,” Alec shrugged.  No sense in denying it. And then his mind caught up with him.  “Wait, you want to go out on a date? With me? You don’t even know my name yet!”

“Yes I do want to go on a date with you, so you probably should tell me your name.  But I do know that you are good looking and very studious, which are two points in your favor.  Definitely, enough to get you a first date, with or without a name.”

Alec blushed, wondering if it might be a common occurrence with this man.  “It’s Alec. My name is Alec.”

“Short for Alexander?”  When Alec nodded, the man grinned and held out his hand.  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Alexander. I’m Magnus, and I own this lovely little establishment.”  

Both men startled as their hands met and Alec's eyes grew wide.  Lightning striking might be a metaphor, but the spark he felt when his hand touched Magnus's for the first time was anything but.  Alec knew Magnus's awestruck expression was mirrored on his own face. They quickly exchanged numbers before Alec remembered the lateness of the hour.  "I, um, I should go and let you rest. Thank you, Magnus, for letting me stay so long."

"Any time, Alexander."

Alec left feeling lighter than air, a buoyancy that continued throughout the next day every time he looked at his phone and saw Magnus's contact information right there.  He wasn't the type of guy to catch the eye of anyone, let alone someone as beautiful as Magnus, yet, here he was.

The phone number turned out to be unnecessary as Alec returned to Magnus's shop the next night.  And the night after that. And the night after that. The rest of the clientele soon came to accept him as a feature in the shop, and when things calmed down and they were the only two left, Magnus would sit by Alec's side while he studied, stealing kisses whenever able.  

It wasn't long before Magnus's shop wasn’t the only one place where they spent time.  Magnus's loft became a second home to Alec not long after they met, and it was there that he realized they had something in common.

Just inside the door stood several large bookshelves, covered with books of all shapes, sizes, and topics.  Alec could spend hours looking at them if Magnus let him, thinking that the books a person chose to display said a lot about them.  

Magnus's books were eclectic, with several about what Alec later learned was his homeland of Indonesia, a few about New York.  There were a couple of books about creative writing that Alec almost asked about but held his tongue because that wasn't a conversation he was ready to have.  His father's reaction to his writing had made him so cautious that the only people who knew he still wrote were his siblings, his publisher and himself.

The first night in the loft, he spotted a book, however, that would change the course of their relationship forever.  It was a small paperback, published a couple years before Alec's own book and in the same genre. Written by an author Alec despised.  They'd never met but he couldn't imagine anyone with a name like Augustus Darkhallow was worth meeting.

Grabbing the offending book off the shelf, Alec held it up for Magnus to see.  "Magnus? Why do you have this?"

Magnus glanced over and Alec saw a flicker of guilt shine in his eyes, among other emotions that flickered across his face too quickly for Alec to decipher.  Obviously, Magnus knew how bad it was. Why else would he feel guilty? "I...um..."

"These books are some of the worst books ever written.  Of course, what do you expect from someone with a name like Augustus Darkhallow!" Alec fully expected that Magnus would jump at the chance to trash the books with him.  He already knew Magnus had excellent taste, better than anyone he'd ever met, so surely he knew how terrible the books were.

"Have you ever met him?" Magnus asked, raising a brow as he stepped up to snatch the book out of Alec's hands.  He couldn’t believe his boyfriend was talking about his books like they were some atrocity. Magnus could only hope it wasn’t Camille all over again.  "No, I don't think you have so how can you judge him? I happen to like these books. The characters are people I want to be friends with. They are deep and intriguing with real-world problems but in a fantasy setting.  I think they are great. I don't understand what your problem is with them."

Alec gaped, wondering how such an intelligent man could get it so wrong.  "The stories are boring and tedious. You know exactly what is going to happen the moment you start reading.  The characters might be interesting but the books themselves are not. They lack the depth you claim the characters have.  Why would you want to read something if you already knew what was going to happen because the plot was so predictable you knew it before the end of the first chapter?  I just don't see how you could possibly enjoy them.” Even as he said it, Alec knew most of his issues with Darkhallow’s books were more due to his own insecurity than anything on the other author’s part.  Even his publisher mentioned that his characters lacked depth, whereas Darkhallow’s were fully actualized people.

“And who would be better?  Gideon Day?” That author was published not long after Magnus’s second book came out.  Two LGBT male writers in a genre often dominated by women, they practically demanded to be compared.  Magnus hated it. He hated _him_.  Though it was more than intriguing plots that Magnus could never quite manage that he hated.  Because what Alec said about his books was true. They were fairly formulaic when it came to plot.  His characters were great and he knew it but his stories lacked the mystery of Day’s.

And so went their first fight as a couple, not more than a month after they first got together.  Both of them tried not to be hurt that the other preferred their rival’s books over his own, but, in the end, they loved each other more than they hated the books the other read.  They could overlook a difference in reading preferences. Plus, it made for interesting dinner conversation. While Alec argued for a living as a lawyer, it was much more fun debating books that had no bearing on their lives outside of personal enjoyment.

* * *

Years passed and Alec graduated from law school, immediately taking a job doing the type of law that he wanted.  He and Magnus moved in together, allowing him to wake up next to the love of his life every single morning. Before law school was out, his second novel was published with the third following not long after he passed the bar.  

Now, nearing thirty years old, Alec couldn't believe how wonderful his life was.  With his jobs both in law and writing, and a man he wished to spend eternity with were it possible, life was practically perfect.  

Sitting across from the breakfast table one rare morning where they are both home and awake, Alec was struck by just how beautiful Magnus was.  The sun shining through the window behind him lit up the purple streaks in his hair and made the glitter he didn't quite get off the night before shine.  He was Alec's personal angel and he wanted to make Magnus his forever.

But how do you propose to someone you've been keeping a huge secret from?  Alec had a huge part of his life that he never shared with the man he supposedly wanted to spend the rest of his life with.  That wasn't something people did, was it? And yet here was Alec, continuing to lie to Magnus.

And it was an outright lie.  One little misunderstanding and all of the sudden, things spiraled out of control.  

"Finish your chapter last night?" Magnus teased before sipping his coffee, eyes sparkling in amusement.  "I'm sure your followers will be very excited to get the update."

"Yeah," Alec hedged, blush coloring his cheeks.  "I'm sure they will."

A few months after that initial fight with Magnus, Alec was struggling to find time to write where Magnus wouldn't see what he was doing.  When he finally told his boyfriend about his second career, he wanted to actually tell him and not have it be a surprise he stumbled upon because Alec wasn't careful.  

It turned out that most nights, Magnus went to bed fairly early because he had to be up before the sun to get to work on time. Alec, who didn't have to be to work until nine often stayed up later to get work done, or so he liked to say.  Much of the time, he was doing work on his various cases but several times a week, he worked on his next novel. It was one of those times when he was lost in thought, typing furiously, that he did not hear Magnus get up. He nearly jumped when strong arms wrapped around his shoulders and a face rested against his own.  

"Come to bed, Alexander.  You've been up too long and I miss you."  Alec hoped that maybe he would be able to get away with this, moving to close the window before Magnus was awake enough to read what was clearly on the screen.  "Wait," his boyfriend said and Alec's heart dropped to his stomach. Here it was. The moment he'd been dreading. At least now it would all be out in the open.

Instead of saying anything immediately, Magnus started to laugh.  "What is so funny?" Alec demanded, because if this was how Magnus reacted to his work, particularly after deriding the books when he didn't even know Alec was the author, then this relationship wasn't going to work, no matter how much Alec loved him.  

"I love you, darling.  I'm sorry," Magnus said, clearly trying to stop laughing, even if he was failing miserably.  "But, I didn't know you liked Gideon Day's work so much. What is your pseudonym? I go on that site sometimes too when I need a good laugh."

"Site?  Pseudonym?"  Even to his own ears, his voice sounded small, confused.  Mostly because he was utterly baffled.

Magnus kissed his cheek.  "Fanfiction, darling. I mean, you could clearly pick a better fandom then Day's but I guess everyone is allowed to have their interests, no matter how wrong they might be."  The teasing tone was one Alec came to expect whenever they discussed the merits of Darkhallow versus Day.

"Just because you don't like his writing, it doesn't mean it's terrible, Magnus.  Some people must like it if he keeps selling books." Alec was thankful for an out.  He never exactly said he was writing fanfiction so when he finally told Magnus, it wouldn't be a lie, right?  Of course, he never corrected him either. Because if Alec had to choose between his writing and Magnus, he didn't know what he would do.  

Magnus kissed his cheek.  "You keep telling yourself that, darling.  Now, come to bed and I'll show you something that I think we will both like."  

Alec didn't have to be told twice, shutting off the computer and hurrying to the bedroom after his lover.  

The problem was, that ever since that day,  Magnus thought that Alec wrote Gideon Day fanfiction in his spare time.  Which was mostly true, he supposed. You just had to take out the word fan.  "So, darling, how is the story going? Any new hits?" Magnus grinned at him over the breakfast table and Alec shook his head.

He loved that even though Magnus hated the author he was supposedly writing for, he was still supportive of Alec's hobby.  At first, Magnus's belief of what he wrote annoyed Alec but now, it was a running joke and one he happily played along with.  "I don't know. I think this one I'm working on is going to be a huge hit. Only time will tell." The truth was, he had sent approval for the final edits for the latest novel, which meant that it would be published in the next couple months.  

All well and good and Alec couldn't wait to see his book in the store, but his publisher mentioned he would be going head to head with Augustus Darkhallow's new novel.  A battle of the urban fantasy writers. They’d never released books at the same time before and Alec wondered what it would do for sales and reviews. Always having the books staggered meant there was little in the way of competition for his own novels.  Now the reviews would come out about the same time and he wasn’t sure if he could handle the comparisons.

Alec had to beat him.  He just had to. He couldn't lose to someone named Augustus Darkhallow.  It would simply be embarrassing.


	2. Present

_ Greetings!   _

_ It is my pleasure to invite you to the fifteenth annual Upstate Book Festival to be held September seventh through the ninth in Buffalo.  We would like to have you as a guest on our panel “Urban Fantasy: Where Does the Genre Go From Here?” _

_ If this is something you would be interested in, please give us a call at your earliest convenience.  Attached you will find the compensation details as well as information about the panel and what we are hoping to accomplish with it.   _

_ Thank you so much for your consideration, and for your contribution to the writing world. _

_ Sincerely,  _

_ Upstate Book Festival Talent Recruitment Committee _

To say receiving the letter was a surprise would be an understatement.  Alec never thought about attending a convention, let alone presenting at one.  But here, in stark black ink of sturdy white paper were words he never knew he wanted to read.  

This festival was a big deal in the written world.  Many of today’s biggest names had presented there when they were just starting out and it was often referred to as a stepping stone to becoming a household name.  Anyone who was anyone would be there, a chance to rub elbows with the literary finest. Alec knew he couldn’t pass up the offer.

The catch was, he wrote under a pseudonym.  Only a few members of his family knew that he was actually Gideon Day.  He still hadn’t told Magnus, the love of his life which meant this invitation presented him with a challenge.  He knew he needed to tell him eventually but the longer he hid it, the harder it was to come clean. And after three years, Alec had no idea how to do just that. 

But the thought of declining never even crossed his mind.  

All of his correspondence addressed to Gideon Day went to a PO Box that he checked on his way to work each morning.  He spent the whole day pulling the letter out of his desk drawer to stare at it before getting back to work. In the end, he decided that coming clean was the best option.  He made a name for himself in law. Now it was time for the person he was closest to to know he’d also made a name for himself in literature. 

Izzy and Jace were supportive from the moment they found out and Alec’s biggest concern was that Magnus would be upset that he wasn’t the first to know.  Their ongoing debate of Day versus Darkhallow had become a daily joke between them. Now Alec hoped this would be just as funny, the fact that all this time, Alec had been arguing in favor of himself. Then they could laugh this off and move on with their lives.  Plus, he already knew what Jace and Izzy’s reactions were. But Magnus was often a wildcard so he really had no clue what the response would be.

Thankful that Magnus had the next morning off from work, Alec got up early to make them breakfast.  Magnus loved his French toast, and Alec figured he could use all the points he could get when it came to confessing to his boyfriend of three years that he had technically been lying by omission to him this whole time. 

Hearing a slight shuffle, Alec looked up to see Magnus standing there, bleary-eyed and obviously confused.  Alec was rarely the first one up so he knew Magnus wasn’t used to waking up alone. “Here I was thinking we might get to spend some quality time in bed,” Magnus said, walking forward until he could wrap his arms around Alec’s waist from behind, rest his forehead on Alec’s neck.  “I had lots of plans. But then I wake up and you aren’t there. Why weren’t you there, darling?”

Alec smiled fondly at the whining tone Magnus’s voice took on when he was overly tired.  Everything about Magnus made him happy, but this sleep-rumpled, unguarded Magnus was his absolute favorite.  “We can go back to bed after breakfast, babe. You need food to keep your strength up, right?”

A soft hum was all the answer he needed and Alec turned his attention back to the stove to make sure he didn’t burn their food.  It had happened before. But, in Alec’s defense, Magnus was really distracting most of the time. 

“Still doesn’t explain why you are making me French toast,” Magnus said after several minutes had passed.  “We could have cereal and be back in bed in half the time. I’m sure I could find a way to fill that period.”

“I don’t have to work today.  Took the day off so I thought I would surprise you with breakfast in bed.”  Alec smirked at him over his shoulder, “But then you got up so, surprise? I promise to make it up to you for not being there when you woke up.”  He watched Magnus narrow his eyes at him and Alec’s grin only got bigger. “I’m really not up to something, I swear.”

“I don’t think that’s as reassuring as you mean for it to be,” Magnus grumbled but he smiled all the same.  “You better have something good in mind because not being there when I wake up was a pretty terrible thing to do to me.  But I’ll wait until after breakfast, if only because I want French toast.” He winked at Alec and went to set the table, leaving a quick kiss on Alec’s cheek.

As much as he loved Magnus and he knew that they would be able to weather whatever storm life threw at them, Alec couldn’t help but worry about how Magnus was going to react.  He  _ had  _ lied to the man he loved, the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, for the entire time they’d been together.  There was the possibility that Magnus wouldn’t be able to look past that very easily. 

By the time the breakfast was ready and they were both seated at the table, Alec’s anxiety had reached a new high. Magnus was going to hate him.  Magnus was going to break up with him. This was the end, if he told Magnus the truth. 

Okay, maybe he was overreacting but Magnus was everything to him and he’d been lying.   

_ Breathe, Lightwood.  Breathe,  _ he told himself.

“So, want to tell me what this is all about?” Magnus asked and Alec faced the moment of truth.  “You never take a day off from work, and French toast is unusually involved for a weekday breakfast.  Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine” Alec choked, knowing he was being ridiculous and needed to just say it already.  “I just...have to go out of town for a few days.” There. He’d at least started the conversation.

“Is that all? Why would you need to take a day off from work for that?”  It was a good question, but the next one was even better. “Where are you going and when?”

This was it.  Alec had to just say it.  Just say ‘I’ve been Gideon Day all along and I was invited to speak at a panel and it’s all very exciting so please don’t be mad at me.’  He took a deep breath and said, “I’ve been invited to give a talk at a symposium of sorts the second weekend of September. The seventh through the ninth if I remember properly.” 

Magnus froze for just a moment, staring at him.  Alec bit his lip, trying to figure out what his boyfriend was thinking but then Magnus nodded and returned to eating his breakfast.  “Well,” Magnus said with a grin, “it is about time the legal world realized how brilliant you are. You have fun. Maybe I should go out of town for the weekend.  There’s that spa that I’ve been dying to try that you keep complaining about.” Smirking, Magnus impersonated Alec as best as he could, “I just don’t see why I would pay that much money to let someone cover me in mud.  At any given time in Central Park, I could probably find a dozen people willing to do that for less than ten dollars.” 

Alec bit his lip to stop himself from laughing and nodded. “Oh, yeah, that’s fine.  I’ll see if Izzy can watch Chairman while we’re gone.” 

Okay, he chickened out.  But that was okay, wasn’t it?  It didn’t matter whether he told Magnus now or after the panel.  He would tell him soon enough and everything would be fine. At least now he didn’t have to go to the panel fighting with his boyfriend if it turned out that Magnus was upset about the whole thing.  

“If not, Cat can do it.” Alec met Magnus’s eyes and they shared a quick smile.  Somehow, he fell in love with that man even more every day. Even without knowing what he was doing, Magnus made him feel a hundred times better. 

What Alec didn’t know was that in a locked drawer at the coffee shop, Magnus also had a letter from Upstate Book Festival.  It seemed he was becoming more well known as you had to be fairly successful to be invited to this convention. And while he wanted to tell Alec, wanted to make his secret life not so secret anymore, but at the moment, there was no urgency. 

Alec was going out of town.  It’s not like he could go with Magnus if he was at a law symposium.  Telling him would only lead to Alec feeling guilty that he wasn’t able to be there to help support Magnus.  The last thing he wanted to do was give his boyfriend guilt when he should be focusing on this symposium which would be a huge boon to Alec’s career. 

When Magnus  first found out that Alec was a fan of Gideon Day, he’d been a little hurt if only because ht wanted to be Alec’s favorite writer, not someone he had never even met.  But when he realized that it was ridiculous to feel that way when Alec had no idea Magnus  _ was _ a writer, he softened.  When Magnus turned it to something of a joke between them, Alec did as well and he began to look forward to the playful debates they had over Magnus’s work and Day’s.  It was fun, especially since arguing with a lawyer was always a challenge, no matter how much Magnus knew the subject matter. 

He knew Alec would feel obligated to be there if Magnus told him about the panel.  He might also be a little hurt that Magnus hadn’t told him about his writing career earlier, but they would work past that, just like they worked past any other minor bump in their relationship.  Magnus and Alec were meant to be, no matter what the universe might say otherwise.

Magnus decided to tell Alec the truth when he came back.  Maybe he’d bring a signed copy of the book and hand it over to him.  That would be fun. It would be much better to do it in a cute and fun way then just blurting out that he’d been technically lying for the past several years.

Alec spoke again and Magnus turned his attention back to his lover.  “You have fun getting all muddy. And didn’t you say something about seaweed too?”  

Magnus smiled and nodded, staring down at his breakfast.  “Yeah, it should be fun. I don’t understand what your aversion to it is.  It’s very relaxing and fantastic for your pores.” With a soft laugh, Alec reached across the table and took Magnus’s hand.  Looking at his boyfriend, Magnus was struck with intense love for the man in front of him. “You know I love you, right?” Magnus blurted out, unable to keep those emotions in one second longer.  “Like, love you more than I have ever loved another person in my entire life and more than I will ever love again. You are it for me, Alexander. No matter what happens or how we may change in the future, nothing will change how I feel about you.”

“I know, Magnus.  What brought this on?”  

With a gentle squeeze to his hand, Magnus shook his hand, “Can’t I just tell you how much I love you?  Because I don’t think I do it enough. I don’t ever want to be one of those couples who becomes so complacent, we don’t make sure the other knows how we feel.  So, you need to know just how much I love you. And nothing will change that.”

“I love you too, Magnus.  So much.” The two of them shared a kiss across the table and both settled back into their seats to finish their breakfast.  Magnus loved Alec’s French toast almost as much as he loved Alec, after all. 

Weeks passed and neither really mentioned their weekend apart, life keeping them busy enough that it didn’t really come up.  Quietly, they both made their plans - flight information and hotel - and soon enough, they were both ready for their respective trips.  

But eventually the weekend in question arrived.  Alec took that Friday off from work, leaving that morning after seeing Magnus off to the shop.  “I’ll see you in a few days. Have fun at the spa. I’ll call once I get settled at the hotel.” 

Magnus cupped Alec’s cheek and kissed him deeply, hating he wouldn’t be able to do that for a few days.  Living without kissing Alec? Unacceptable. “Travel safe, darling. You have everything you need?”

Biting his lip, Alec glanced at the bags he had.  A suitcase with his normal clothes, a garment bag with a suit he might or might not wear to the panel.  He hadn’t decided yet. Additionally he had a briefcase, currently with a dozen copies of his book that he could sign and give away if he met a particularly engaging fan.  “Yeah, I think I have everything.” They kissed once more, the taste of Alec’s coffee lingering on Magnus’s lips even as they pulled away from one another. “I love you. I’ll see you on Monday, okay?”

All Magnus could do was nod as Alec caught the cab that would take him to the airport.  After moving in with Alec and establishing a life with him, Magnus started closing the shop at three in order to have more time with his lover.  It made it so he had plenty of time for anything else that he might need to do during the daylight hours. So, Magnus didn’t schedule his flight until after he closed the shop for the day.  Might as well get one more day of business before handing it over to Clary and Simon for two days. 

He hoped it was still standing when he returned.

Magnus waved to Alec as the cab pulled away and then walked to the coffee shop, his mind on Buffalo and what awaited him at the festival that weekend.  

While his reasons for enjoying the anonymity had changed over the years, Magnus still preferred to keep his writing life separate from everything else.  It was the one thing that made him question whether or not to accept the invitation to speak. None of his book covers bore his picture. He’d been very careful when wording the “About the Author”section as well.  

_ Augustus Darkhallow currently lives in New York City with his cat, his long-term boyfriend, and an unhealthy addiction to caffeine.  He finds inspiration for his stories in the city he loves and the people that live there. _

So far not one person had ever figured out that he was the one who wrote the books.  Everything was vague enough to be able to describe hundreds of people in New York. If he didn’t go to the festival, Magnus could continue to live an anonymous life for as long as he wished.  

Going to the festival meant putting a face to the name Augustus Darkhallow.  It meant pictures on the Internet, pictures that Alec might stumble across, something Magnus wanted to avoid.  He wanted to be the one to tell Alec the truth, not the internet. 

However, after several books and a minimal online presence consisting mostly of Twitter and Instagram, Magnus thought it might finally be time to meet his fans face to face.  He could take the small risk that Alec might find out and meet up with the people who had his back for so many years. Magnus guessed that the only way he would get exposed would be if one of Gideon Day’s fans posted something about it and Alec came across it in his fanfic circles.  

But that was a concern for another time.  He had a convention to attend, fans to meet, and a boyfriend to explain it all too as soon as he got back.

Magnus chose a hotel set a couple miles from the convention site.  He wanted to be able to escape what he assumed would be the chaos around the center where it was being held.  If he had a place to go for some quiet, he might be able to get writing done while not worrying about his boyfriend accidentally seeing it over his shoulder. 

He was just unpacking his suitcase and he smiled when he saw Alec’s name on the phone.  “Hello, darling. How was your trip?”

On the other side of town, in the hotel attached to the convention center, Alec settled back against the pillows on his bed and smiled as he heard Magnus’s voice.  His boyfriend never failed to relax him even when he was an anxiety-filled mess. “Uneventful. Got stuck next to someone who talked more than Simon. More. Than.  _ Simon _ .  Thankfully it was a short flight, otherwise I might have been tempted to murder him.”

“At least you could defend yourself if that happened,” Magnus said with a laugh.  His boyfriend was the most level headed person he knew, the least likely one to actually commit a murder.  “But I am proud that you managed to restrain yourself, Alexander. And I’m sure the symposium is proud too.  I can’t imagine they would like to find a new speaker at such short notice, particular one as handsome and well-spoken as yourself.”

He could almost see Alec’s blush from there.  Alec always blushed when Magnus complimented him and he doubted that wasn’t the case simply because Magnus wasn’t in the same room with him.  “Magnus, stop. I’m not as great as you think I am.”

“Nonsense, darling. You are probably even greater than I am saying but I know how much you hate being the center of attention.  How you are going to handle tomorrow, I don’t know.”

Alec didn’t know either.  He was scared out of his mind but this was what he wanted, despite his fears.  To finally let his readers put a face to the name and ask him any questions they might have about his books and characters.  

He also wanted to meet his fellow panelists.  They didn’t give him any names but apparently the other authors were of a similar status to him in the literary world and wrote in the same genre.  There were only a few people who it could be so Alec was excited to be introduced to them. Meeting other authors who understood the pressure, the process was almost more interesting than the panel itself. 

If Izzy and Magnus could see him now, excited to meet people, they wouldn’t believe they were actually looking at Alec Lightwood.

They wouldn’t be looking at Alec Lightwood, he thought with a smile as he wished Magnus a good night and promised to call after his presentation in the morning.  They would be looking at Gideon Day, a hermit who loved meeting his fans and colleagues. 

Tomorrow, Gideon Day would finally step out into the light.

Several blocks away, Magnus hung up the phone with a soft smile on his face.  Going through his evening routine, Magnus climbed into the bed and rolled towards Alec’s normal side, pulling the pillow close as a poor substitute for his boyfriend.  

While he missed Alec, Magnus’s excitement tempered the sadness.  He couldn’t wait to meet his fans and the other author on the panel.  He couldn’t wait to get to talk about his books with people who loved them, and debate them with people who didn’t.  It was a dream come true, something he used to fantasize about before Camille’s bad attitude pushed his writing into the shadows.  

It was time for Augustus Darkwater to shine in the spotlight where he belonged.

The only thing that would make it better was if Alec was there to share it with him.  

Next time, he promised himself as he drifted off to sleep.  

Next time.

Magnus rose with the sun the following morning, well used to getting up early thanks to his job at the coffee shop.  He doubted he could even sleep in anymore. The only reason he ever even tried was when he and Alec both had a morning off and could lounge to their heart’s content.  Though, that rarely ended with them sleeping late, no matter how long they stayed in bed. 

Without Alec’s warm, enticing body to keep him in bed, Magnus showered and dressed, spending a good deal of time on his makeup.  If this was the first time he’d be photographed as Augustus Darkhallow, he needed to look his absolute best. 

Despite how nervous he felt, Magnus wanted to do this already.  He wanted to meet everyone and talk about books and not have to pretend for a few hours.  He wanted to be the author he’d always been, even if only a few people actually knew about that part of him.  

Trying to calm his anxious nerves, Magnus took a long breakfast in the hotel restaurant, pulling out his latest novel draft and doing some editing while he ate.  Glancing around, several other people were doing the same thing and they each shared knowing smiles with one another. Spending time with other writers was something he hadn’t done since college and the sense of unity in this drab eatery made his heart soar.  These were people who understood the craft and appreciated the work that went into creating each and every book people read. These were  _ his _ people. 

Before long, he’d finished breakfast and had no other methods of distraction left.  It was still an hour before he had to be at the convention center for the panel, but Magnus couldn’t wait any longer.  If nothing else, he thought he could look around, maybe buy some notebooks or something to take home to Alec. He knew his boyfriend would appreciate them.  The jokes about their writing hobbies aside, Magnus wanted to be supportive. Magnus always had his father in his corner, his biggest supporter. He also had Cat and Ragnor and even Raphael, even if he pretended to hate everything Magnus did.  Magnus knew Alec’s relationship with his own father was less than ideal so he would be his boyfriend’s cheerleader, even if he was writing fanfiction for ‘the competition’. Alec had Izzy, Jace, and Clary, though, something Magnus was thankful for.  Everyone needed a support system behind them, particularly when it came to this. And if anyone should have a ton of people standing behind him, it was Alexander. Magnus believe that all writing should be supported no matter what. 

At least he’d learned  _ something _ from his relationship with Camille.

In another hotel, not far away, Alec Lightwood was having a terrible morning.  Sleep eluded him, finding the bed too big and too empty without Magnus there. If they’d spent a night apart since he moved in to the loft, Alec couldn’t remember.  After tossing and turning for hours, Alec gave up and turned on the light for awhile. He worked on his next novel, relishing the rare opportunity to write in bed as Magnus wasn’t there to see what he was doing.  Magnus was always supportive of his ‘hobby’ just as Alec was always supportive of his boyfriend’s interests as well. But being afraid of writing in front of people was a hard habit to break, so Alec still preferred to only write when he was alone.  

No matter how much writing he was getting done, Alec knew he needed to rest.  Meeting new people always exhausted him, and if he went in already tired, there was a chance the panel would be a disaster.  He wanted this too much to ruin it by staying up all night the night before. 

Eventually, he managed to drift off into a restless sleep somewhere before dawn.  His body simply couldn’t stay awake any longer and while it wasn’t refreshing, he was thankful for getting any rest at all.  That was until he rolled over and saw the clock. With only thirty minutes until the panel, Alec panicked. He took the shortest shower he’d ever had, relieved that he’d at least thought to put out his clothes the night before.  He threw them on as quickly as he possible and practically ran from the room. 

He knew how lucky he was that he’d chosen to stay in the hotel attached to the convention center.  If he’d had to fight festival traffic on top of being late, he would never have made it on time. As much as he wanted to stop for coffee, he barely had time to swing in to the credentials area and get his badge for the weekend.  For some reason, his panel was one of the first, and he wished that he woke up early more often. At least then maybe he wouldn’t feel like he might fall asleep in front of the audience. 

Making his way to the panel room, it dawned on him that these were his last few moments of anonymity.  After this, anyone in the world could search for Gideon Day on the internet and see his face. After this day, his face would be associated with a  New York Times Bestseller. It was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. For a brief moment, Alec considered running away, afraid of what awaited him inside the panel room.  But he’d thought about this, weighed all the pros and cons and decided that he was ready. He was ready to come clean to the world. And then to the love of his life. Jace, Izzy, and Clary all took it well, so surely Magnus would as well. 

He stood outside the doors of the room, taking several breaths to try and calm himself.  Looking like he ran all the way here was not the look he’d hoped to present. Once he felt as calm as he was going to get, Alec pushed the doors open and headed inside. 

The first panel in the room was theirs so when Magnus arrived, it was empty and ready to go.  He stood in awe for a moment, taking a picture of the empty room with the plan to take another one when it filled up before the start of their talk.  At the table, Magnus nearly cried when he saw his name on the name tag, spelled out for all to see. 

AUGUSTUS DARKHALLOW

He’d waited so long for this and now it was here.  He snapped another picture and uploaded it to Augustus’s Instagram page before starting to settle in.  There were two other names on the panel table and he took a moment to look at them both. The first was a well-known woman in the genre with several series and numerous awards to her name.  Humbled by the fact that he’d been asked to be on the same panel as her, Magnus almost ignored the last name. But when he saw it, his eyes went wide. 

GIDEON DAY

His ‘arch-rival’ here?  Not that Gideon had any idea he was Magnus’s arch-rival, but in his head, it was totally true.  Well, Augustus’s arch-rival. Surely Gideon was a wonderful person who Magnus probably wouldn’t even mind meeting.  But Augustus...? Augustus wanted a chance to debate him on stage. (He briefly wondered whether it was healthy to refer to his pen name as an entirely different entity but decided that would be a question for his future therapist, not now.)  Whether it was as Magnus or as Augustus, it would be fun to trade barbs with the actual author and not just his fanboy boyfriend.

But that was the problem.  Alec  _ was _ a Gideon Day fanboy.  Which means, he probably knew about this panel.  And might even look up the pictures from the festival once it was all said and done. Pictures Magnus might feature prominently in.  

Crap.

He pulled out his phone, sending a quick series of texts to Alec.  

_ [text - Alexander] Good luck today darling. _

_ [text - Alexander] A favor?  Call me as soon as you are done. _

_ [text - Alexander] I need to talk to you about something as soon as possible. _

_ [text - Alexander] I love you.  Always and forever. _

Magnus only hoped Alec saw his messages before he saw anything else online.  This wasn’t how he wanted Alec to find out and he should have considered that possibility before accepting this panel.  Or at least told Alec the truth before he left for his symposium and Magnus lost his last opportunity.

But even if he did find out that way, it wouldn’t be the end.  He had to keep telling himself that or he would call Alec this instant, probably interrupting his symposium and delaying this one.

The woman they’d be sharing the panel with arrived along with her partner and Magnus introduced himself and shook both their hands, telling her what a big fan he was of her work.  

“I’m captivated by your stories,” she told him and it was all Magnus could do not to swoon on the spot.  “The characters jump off the page and I feel like I could sit down and have coffee and cookies with them at any minute.”

“That was what I was going for.  I want people to care for the characters so much that when they make a mistake, my readers feel it viscerally.” Magnus grinned at her and neither of them noticed when the doors burst open and the last member of the panel walked in.

The room was starting to fill when Alec got in there and he swallowed heavily when he saw just how many chairs there were.  He knew how big this festival was but not that he was here, it was finally starting to hit him that he would need to talk in front of all these people.  Words were his specialty, but in written form. He could hold his own in court when someone else’s life or livelihood were on the line, but when it was his own reputation, Alec feared he would freeze.

Tossing his things under the table, Alec picked up his name tag and stared at it for a moment.  It was amazing to finally be here, and the feeling of seeing his name on that panel table was second only to the feeling he got when he saw his book in print for the first time.  He didn’t look at the other two panelists, knowing he was running late and would have time to chat with them after everything was said and done. 

Magnus saw him first.  When your boyfriend towered a head over everyone else, it could be difficult to miss him, even in a crowd.  Even in a place that he never expected to see him. Excusing himself from the conversation with the other writer, he made his way to Alec, eyes wide and hands trembling.  “Alexander?” 

Alec’s head whipped around so fast that Magnus would have laughed if he wasn’t absolutely confused.  “Magnus? What are you doing here? How...how did you know I was here?”

That didn’t make sense and Magnus stared at him.  “What do you mean? How did you know I was here? How did you find out and why didn’t you say anything?”

His mind was racing and Alec struggled to answer.  “Find out what?” he asked, cursing the way his voice squeaked.  He never anticipated telling Magnus the truth in front of so many people. 

What he also didn’t anticipate was what his boyfriend, the love of his life, said next.  “That I’m Augustus Darkhallow? Here I thought all your teasing remarks were just jokes. Was I mistaken?”

Darkhallow.  Magnus was Darkhallow.  The author Alec considered his rival, the author Alec ranted about all the time.  All those things he’d said, not knowing that he was talking to the author himself.  He was annoyed at being kept in the dark but Alec was far from innocent. And that meant he would need to come clean now as well. 

However, in the time it took Alec to process the information his boyfriend just threw at him, Magnus put two and two together, or at least he thought he did.  “You didn’t know. You aren’t here to see me. You’re here to see Gideon Day, aren’t you?”

Magnus would deny being hurt at that.  He hadn’t told Alec who he was. There was no reason for Alec to be here to support him and Magnus was the one to blame for that.  But to know his boyfriend lied to him about going to a symposium in order to come here and see his writing idol instead? It hurt more than Magnus ever thought it would.

“Not, exactly,” Alec said and Magnus looked up in confusion.  Alec held out his convention badge. One that looked like Magnus’s.  One that said, PRESENTER. 

One that said GIDEON DAY. 

“You?” Magnus asked, looking from the badge to Alec and back again.  “You weren’t writing fanfiction, were you?” It all started to make sense.  So many emotions were warring inside and Magnus couldn’t tell which one was going to win.  Right now, it was mostly frustration but he understood. After all, he’d been doing the same thing.

“I’m Gideon Day, Magnus.  And you’re Augustus Darkhallow.  You never thought to tell me that when we were discussing the books?  Or at any other time over the last three years?” Alec’s embarrassment at the situation was bubbling up and he had to take deep breaths to keep himself from lashing out.  All this time he’d worried about how betrayed Magnus would feel when he found out and now his own heart sank at the knowledge that his boyfriend hid something so important from him.  Alec was very much aware of his hypocrisy, but not in the headspace to do anything about it at that moment. 

Magnus’s eyes narrowed and Alec knew his boyfriend was thinking the exact same thing.  They’d been together long enough at this point that he knew that face all too well. “Because you were so forthcoming with the information that you were Gideon, Alexander?”

The argument was stopped from escalating further (probably for the best considering the room filled up while they were bickering) when a handler from the con asked them both to take their seats so they could get started.  A silent understanding passed between them. This was something they would need to discuss later. At length. In private. 

“Can I get you all anything before we start?  Coffee or tea?” The convention handler didn’t seem to notice that Magnus and Alec knew one another.  Or at least, she didn’t until Magnus answered her question.

With a smile, he nodded.  “I’ll have green tea if you have it and Alexan...  _ Gideon _ will have coffee with more milk than coffee.  

“At least if I put that much milk in it, it’s palatable.  How you can drink it black with six sugars I will never know.  It’s like you want your teeth to rot out of your mouth before you are forty.”

Magnus rolled his eyes fondly.  Books weren’t the only thing they debated and falling into this familiar back and forth did more for his nerves than anything else.  He heard the third author place her order and settled into his chair. He had a vague idea of what questions would be asked and wanted to look over his notes one last time.  

The girl returned a few minutes later with their drinks and the room was called to order.  The moderator was speaking but Magnus stared down at his hands, too lost in thought to really listen closely.  It wasn’t until he heard his name that he looked up. 

“Mr. Darkhallow.”  Magnus ignored the chuckle he heard from his boyfriend at the mention of his pen name.  “Do you read other authors in this genre? Have you, by any chance, read anything by your fellow panelists?”  He’d been expecting this one and nodded. 

“I have read all the books by both of these talented people here.  Ms. Briggs’s world building is something we should all aspire too. Even though the novels are set in places about as different from my own personal experience as possible, I feel as though I could fly there and take a walk down the street, completely comfortable with my surroundings.”  

That had been the easy answer.  The next was a little more delicate considering who the writer was.  “As for Mr. Day,” he could see Alec tensing, “his plots are the things of legends.  I like to consider myself and intelligent, well-read person. Normally I can see a plot twist coming a mile away, and if I don’t see it, it’s usually because it doesn’t make sense.  What Gideon can do with his plots is take something that should be convoluted and strange and make it work. If he could tell me how to do that, I would be a better writer than I am today.”

Magnus met Alec’s eyes and smiled.  Things were weird right now, he knew that.  After lying to one another for so long, it was like things might be a little tense after the panel.  But now Alec knew what Magnus thought of his writing, the things he never said back when they were debating for fun.  It wouldn’t have been fair to give Alec such easy ammunition against his own perspective, after all. But Alec deserved to know how amazing his stories were, and he deserved to hear it from Magnus.

The second author was asked the same question and answered with kind words to both Magnus and Alec.  Magnus smiled at the ones about his own writing but geared up hearing someone else praise the love of his life in front of so many people.  

What Magnus was waiting for, however, was Alec’s answer to the question.  He reiterated what Magnus said about the other author’s world building and then complimented both Magnus and her on their social media skills.  Gideon Day’s media presence was limited, rather like Alec’s own and Magnus knew he would be helping his lover in the near future. Social media was vital to promoting your book and he wouldn’t let Alec falter because he didn’t understand the difference between a tweet and a vine.

Alec and Magnus’s eyes met and Magnus realized that his lover wasn’t done.  “My boyfriend will be the first to tell you that I complain non-stop about Mr. Darkhallow.  We’ve had numerous fights about it, to be honest. He’s a huge fan, and now I see why.” Magnus had to cover his mouth from laughing out loud.  “But what I haven’t told him is that most of my problems with Augustus’s writing come from jealousy. I wish I could write characters half as interesting.  I wish to know them. If I had to guess, he bases the characters off people he knows, because they seem familiar, like people he is intimately acquainted with and not just characters from his own mind.”

Now that Alec knew who Augustus actually was, things were starting to make sense.  He recognized Magnus’s dad as the sagely father figure. He recognized Ragnor as the grumpy bookstore owner with a heart of gold.  And, now that he thought about it, he recognized himself as the love interest. The one he never thought was good enough for Magnus’s main character.  

That was an awkward realization to have in front of a crowd this size. 

“Thank you,” the moderator said, interrupting his spiraling thoughts and pulling Alec back to the present.  “Mr. Darkhallow, could you tell us a bit about your method, how you approach writing, particularly in this genre?”  Always happy to talk about his work, Magnus smiled and let himself settle into the moment. This was familiar.

“For me, my writing is about the characters.  The plot is always secondary. I don’t care as much about what they are doing.  I want the characters to be people my readers want to be friends with, want to fall in love with.  I want the villains to be people they love to hate and yet, at the same time, understand their motivations.  I want my readers to go along on the emotional journey with the characters in the book. Even if the action isn’t always as detailed as  _ some _ others,” - Magnus glanced over at Alec who playfully narrowed his eyes back at him, eliciting a few chuckles from the audience - “it is the feelings behind the action that really matter to me.  If that comes across in my writing, then I consider the book a success.”

Alec listened, trying to forget that it was his boyfriend talking and instead of thinking about him as the author he’s always said he despised.  It wasn’t exactly true but the truth would have given Magnus too much power in their debates. Now, though, Alec was determined to tell him. Particularly as he listened to Magnus describe his work and the way he approached writing and recognized the striking difference between them.  

While they often discussed the merits of their favorite writers (themselves?), Alec and Magnus never really talked about their own writing.  Despite the fact that he shared his work with the world, sharing any writing was terrifying. If Magnus didn’t like his work  _ after _ knowing that he wrote it, Alec didn’t know if he would be able to handle it.  As it was, he knew Magnus was criticising Gideon, not Alec, even if they were the same person.  If Magnus had known he was the writer behind those books, Alec knew Magnus would have been encouraging and probably even complimentary.  

It did make him curious what Magnus would say when this panel was all said and done and they had the time to actually discuss their situation.  Alec already knew what he wanted to tell Magnus. There were many things about Augustus’s writing that Alec simply loved but their ‘thing’ was arguing about their favorite writers.  If he started complimenting the ‘competition’, then he would lose.

“Mr. Day,” the moderator said and Alec grinned, looking over at her.  He didn’t know if he would ever get used to being addressed by his pen name.  Right now, it was still exhilarating each and every time. “You are well known for your plot twists and shocking endings.  Your heroes come out on top but the reader never knows exactly how they will get there or what ‘the top’ will actually look like for them.  Could you explain a little of your thought process and how you manage such surprises again and again?”

Alec never talked about this with anyone.  People commented about the twists he put in his novels but they never asked about the thought processes behind them.  He thought for a moment before he answered, wanting to make sure his words were clear and concise. “My childhood was not easy.  Growing up in a conservative home, my father had a very set plan for my life that I was supposed to follow. Stepping one foot out of line for any reason, no matter how noble, was treated as a betrayal of the highest order.  When I first started reading, and then eventually writing also, I was drawn to stories where the heroes overcame so much, where they had every obstacle thrown in their way, and yet they were still victorious. Where the world tried to decide their life and they said no, blazing their own trail.”

He paused, looking over at Magnus whose eyes shown with pride and what appeared to be a few tears.  Magnus knew his history better than anyone in this room. He knew what Alec went through with his father.  But he didn’t know how that translated into his writing. Until now. 

“I want my stories to inspire kids.  My characters might not be as well rounded as Mr. Darkhallow’s, but I want my readers to be able to see themselves as the hero of that story.  Because if they can be the hero triumphing over monsters that roam the streets of New York, then why couldn’t they be the hero in real life too?”  Alec knew he wasn’t imagining it when his boyfriend wiped some tears from his eyes. 

Magnus hated that he was crying in front of all these people but Alec brought that out in him.  And maybe they could understand. Being complimented by one of the greatest in your field, no matter what that field was, could bring plenty of emotions to the surface.  

He only debated for a second before getting out of his seat and closing the distance between himself and Alec, pulling his boyfriend into a tight hug.  “I love you, darling,” he whispered into Alec’s ear. “And when we are away from all these people, I’m going to show you just how much.”

“So you aren’t mad?” Alec whispered back.  The crowd cheered and hollered, giving them a moment for a hushed conversation.  

Magnus shook his head.  At the end of the day, what mattered to Magnus was that he had an amazing man he loved more than anything, he had a career he loved and so did his boyfriend.  Everything else was just details. “I think we have some things to talk about but it would be hypocritical of me to be upset, don’t you think?”

Alec nodded and Magnus relaxed.  As long as they were okay with one another, they could work through the rest.  “I was thinking the same thing.” Magnus grinned at him and then went back to his seat.  While he might love Alec with everything he had, their fans didn’t know that. He just put a face to his name,  Magnus wasn’t ready to hand over his personal life to them as well.

The panel passed in a blur and when they were told at the end that the whole thing was recorded and would be on the website later that day, he was relieved.  Magnus couldn't say what they talked about, the adrenaline high as well as the emotional one from having Alec right there on the stage with him made everything else seem fuzzy in comparison.  

“I would like to thank you all for attending,” the moderator said and Magnus relaxed for perhaps the first time all day.  “This concludes our panel. The next one will start in twenty minutes so you have some time if you wish to come to talk to any of our guests.”  

They’d all been told in the information packet they received with their invitation that there would be time after the panel for guests to ask for autographs, take pictures, and just chat with their favorite writers.  It was the part he was most concerned about. Magnus excelled in these situations and, thankfully for Alec, he was right there. 

The two of them stood close to one another, greeting their own fans and marveling at the large number of ones they had in common.  Neither of their own groups was as large as the other author’s but they didn’t mind. She was a legend as far as either of them were concerned.  They would get there someday, but they weren’t there yet.

“So,” one fan asked, looking between the two of them as they stood there. “I thought you two hated one another.  That’s always the impression you give when you do interviews and things. I sort of expected you two to be screaming at each other in the panel, not hugging and laughing.”

Magnus laughed first, followed by Alec who answered the poor confused person.  “I think we would describe what we have as a friendly rivalry. That sound accurate?”  Magnus nodded and Alec continued. “It’s fun to bicker and argue, but we both have a great deal of respect for one another, both professionally and personally.  If anything either of as said in the past came off as overly antagonistic, that was our fault. I think going forward, we are going to work on being more supportive and less argumentative.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth.  Gideon and I have known each other for years and while we haven’t always been there for one another when it comes to our writing, we really do want nothing but the best for the other.”  

The fan nodded and had a picture taken before wandering off to the rest of the con.  Slowly, the crowd died down and the only ones left in the room were the people setting up for the next panel as well as Magnus, Alec, and the third panelist.  “How long have you two been together?” she asked the moment the last fan was out of earshot. 

Their eyes went wide and Alec stuttered, “We... We aren’t...”

“Oh please.  My husband and I have been together for fourteen years.  I know what love looks like, particularly the kind of love that only comes from knowing that person for a long time.  You two, if you aren’t married, have been together for years.”

Magnus smiled and took Alec’s hand as he blushed.  “Almost four years. But no ring yet.”

“I was waiting for certain criteria to be met,” Alec muttered and Magnus looked at him with a raised brow.  Alec shook his head. Magnus knew he would get an answer eventually but not just in front of other people. “I’m Alec, by the way.  I don't think we were formally introduced. And this is my boyfriend Magnus.”

She smiled, shaking Alec’s hand and then Magnus’s.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m Patty. I don’t want to keep you boys but keep up the good work.  I’m looking forward to reading each of your new novels.” She gave them a quick nod and then hurried out of the room, her companion following close behind.

Turning to ask Alec if he wanted to go get some food, Magnus saw his boyfriend yawn and began to worry.  “Did you get any sleep last night, darling? You look exhausted.”

“I was up most of the night,” Alec admitted.  He knew Magnus tended to fret but he also wasn’t going to lie.  Not to Magnus. Never again.

Magnus frowned but appreciated that Alec told him the truth.  Before he would have tried to hide it until they both got frustrated.  “Where are you staying?”

“Right here at the hotel,” Alec said, nodding in the general direction of the door.

“Then we are going back to your room, taking a very long nap, and then we can go get lunch and explore the convention.  How does that sound?” 

Alec wanted that, but there was something else he wanted too.  “We can talk too, right? I am so sorry for lying to you, Magnus.  I never wanted to but it slowly got out of hand and I couldn't figure out how to say it without looking like a jackass.”

Stopping him by putting a finger over Alec’s lips, Magnus shook his head.  “You don’t need to apologize, Alexander. I did the same thing. But yes, we will talk.  After you sleep and eat. Okay?”

Receiving no other argument, Magnus took Alec by the hand and pulled him in for a kiss. “I love you, Alexander.  And I wasn’t lying earlier when I said you were a brilliant writer. I’ve always been rather jealous of Gideon Day.”

“And I’ve always been a little jealous of Augustus Darkhallow.”  Alec laughed and shook his head, resting it on Magnus’s shoulder.  “I know there has to be a story behind that name. Promise to tell me?”

“Of course, Alexander.  No more secrets.”

“No more secrets, Magnus.  I promise.”


	3. Future

“Can you believe it’s already been a year?” Magnus asked as they walked hand in hand into the hotel.  They’d chosen the hotel Magnus stayed at the year prior for various reasons, but mostly the privacy. Even there, the chance that they would run into a fan existed, but it wasn’t as bad as if they stayed at the hotel at the convention.  Here they could at least have some breakfast without being mobbed by their various readers. 

It didn’t help that their fans were looking for them and had a ton of questions.  Both had been promoting a surprise to be announced at this convention on their separate Twitter accounts.  Neither mentioned the other in those tweets so none of the fans had any reason to expect the surprises were related to one another. But they’d both been bombarded with so many questions online, Magnus assumed it was going to get even worse now that they were finally here.   

Alec gave his real name to the receptionist at the desk and the two were given their keys.  They’d arrived a day early but planned to stay for the rest of the week. Raphael and Simon had taken over running the coffee shop most days, and Magnus knew he could trust them with his store.  Alec used some of the weeks of vacation he saved up since he was a workaholic who loved his job and rarely took a day for himself. The two of them planned for the week to be a romantic getaway after a whirlwind year of novel promotion, writing, and falling even more in love than before.  

While it seemed impossible that Alec could love Magnus more than he already did, getting to know him as an author and not just the owner of his favorite coffee shop was eye-opening.  The two would sit next to each other in bed, typing away on their laptops, occasionally trading so his boyfriend could read over what he wrote and offer critique and compliments. Somehow, Alec had stumbled into a more perfect relationship than he could have ever dreamed. 

Magnus wondered what he did to deserve this sort of happiness.  When he was in college, dating Camille and thinking it was the best relationship he could hope for, he never imagined a partner who would want to read his writing and love him more for writing it.  After he dumped her, Magnus decided that if Camille was the best he could have, then he would prefer to be alone. And he was until a handsome young law student walked into his coffee shop and his life and turned everything upside down.  That, he knew now, was the best relationship he could ever have. 

And if nothing had changed between them, Magnus still wouldn’t have had any complaints.  Alexander was the one for him whether he was a lawyer, a writer, or something else entirely.  But, when he found out that Alec was also an author, a whole new side of their relationship opened up.  They bounced ideas off one another. Wrote short stories to the other just because it made them happy. Alec was everything Magnus needed and so many things he didn't realize he wanted until he had them.  

The hotel room was bigger, nicer than the one Magnus stayed in alone the year before.  Back then, both Magnus and Alec had already made a name for themselves in the genre but over the last year, they’d really exploded into the popular culture.  Alec’s book series was being made into a television show while Magnus’s had been optioned for one movie with the promise of several more if they were a success.  

Because of this (and the fact that they only had to pay for one room for two different guests), the convention put them up in a suite at the hotel of their choice.  They were hardly going to say no to a suite, and the moment they walked in, Magnus knew they made the right decision. “Look, Alexander! Two desks. We can both do some writing while we are here.”

Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus’s waist from behind, resting his chin on his lover’s shoulder.  “Only two problems with that. One, neither of us uses a desk to write most of the time. Two, we promised we were going to take this week off.  Our stuff is at the publishers. We don’t have to work. I want to be with Magnus, not Augustus.” 

“You’re stuck with both of us I’m afraid,” Magnus said laughingly as Alec pulled a face, pretending to be upset.  Magnus kissed the scowl off his face, far too used to this argument to be fazed by it in the slightest.

The night after that fateful panel a year ago, while they lay in Alec’s hotel bed, curled together and happy to have everything out in the open, Magnus told Alec the story of how he and his father had picked his pen name.  “Dad came up with it, to be honest. Thought it might be dramatic enough for me. I had a bit of a flare for that back then.”

“Back then?” Alec laughed, tucking his face against Magnus’s neck and breathing in his warm scent.  “I love you, Magnus, but you are still the most dramatic person I know.”

“I take offense at that.  You know both Clary and the blond one.”

“Who has a name, you know.”

Magnus smirked and held Alec closer, “Yes, I know.  It’s just more fun to annoy him by refusing to use it.”  He paused and then sighed. “I really am the most dramatic one, aren’t I?” 

Alec kissed his temple and cuddled Magnus closer, “You really are.  But that’s okay because I love you for it. But anyway, why Augustus Darkhallow, other than being dramatic?”

“Darkhallow was just something weird and creative dad came up with.  Probably after we each had a couple of glasses of wine, I don’t honestly remember now.  We thought it was perfect, though, and here we are. Augustus was a different story. That one he picked for a reason.”  Alec knew Magnus’s life story and suspected this probably related in some way. “When mom named me, she once told me, she wanted a name that would make me feel important.  The name Magnus means “great” and so she thought it was perfect. Dad likes to joke that because our last name also means ‘a cause of great distress or annoyance’ what my mother was really naming was ‘huge pain in the ass’.”  Magnus and Alec both laughed before Alec fell silent again, knowing Magnus was going somewhere with this story.

“Augustus also means great.  When we were trying to pick my pen name, Dad thought it was the perfect choice.  ‘It’s who you are, son,’ he said to me.” Magnus sighed, losing himself to his thoughts.  He really was lucky to have the father he did. He knew Alec chose his own pen name so his father couldn’t find his writing, even if they were no longer on speaking terms.

It had been weird getting used to Alec using the name Augustus for him, almost as weird as it was for Magnus to use Gideon for his boyfriend.  They only did it while discussing work, and was now a running joke between them. Tomorrow at the convention, however, they would have to use them all day long, which would be strange for them both.  

Alec loved Magnus.  Alec tolerated Augustus a lot of the time.  Usually when he was approaching a deadline and overly cranky.

Gideon, however, adored Augustus.  And the feeling was mutual.

“Come on,  _ Augustus.   _ Let’s go get some dinner.”

Magnus laughed and took Alec’s hand.  “Whatever you say,  _ Gideon _ .”

How they got so lucky, neither of them knew.  But they certainly weren’t going to question their good fortune.

Stepping into the same panel room as before the next morning was surreal for them both.  Considering they were there in an official capacity, they kept a respectable distance from one another, not holding hands like they normally would if they were out just for fun.  But even if they weren’t touching, there was no mistaking the closeness between the two. The shared whispers, the knowing grins. They were the mannerisms of two men who knew each other intimately.  

This year they were the headliners in their own panel.  It would only be the two of them without a bigger name author to pull more people into the seats, which worked out perfectly since they each planned to announce their newest project and wouldn’t want to take away the spotlight from any other author who was equally deserving of the attention.

“Mr. Darkhallow, Mr. Day, thank you both for joining us.  I know you each have very busy schedules and we are so glad that you were able to make time for us.”  The woman helping them walked them through the questions they would be asked and gave them an opportunity to add or remove anything they wished.  

Magnus smiled and pointed to a space towards the end.  “Where it says new projects, do you mind if we each announce something?  I’m not sure if you’ve been following either of us on Twitter but we’ve been tagging the festival and promoting pretty heavily that we each had something new to share and would be doing it here in Buffalo this weekend.  I know I speak for us both when I say we would like to do it right here in the panel if at all possible.”

Looking like Christmas came early, she nodded eagerly.  “Oh, that would be amazing. I’ll make sure they go put something on our own Twitter while you get set up.  Everyone loves the panels where they will learn something there first. I expect this room will be packed in about twenty minutes.”  She ran off, leaving them both to set up. 

They each had a case filled with their own books.  Throughout the convention, they would either sell them or give them away to fans who asked for it.  For now, they set them up on the edges of the table, giving something for people to look at if they wanted.  

Magnus also pulled one additional item from his bag and placed it face down on the table.  “Are you ready for this, darling? No going back now.”

“I think we passed the point for going back about three weeks ago,” Alec said in return.  “I have no doubts about this Magnus. Do you?”

“Not a one.”

They shared a kiss and then took their seats as the first attendees started to filter into the room.  Even without the big name author between them, the room was packed and Magnus was struck with the knowledge that now they were the big name authors.  They didn’t need anyone else to draw in the audience. It was a strange feeling to know that he was that popular when most of the time the only people he saw were his customers at the coffee shop, his friends, and Alec.  

“There are so many of them,” he whispered to Alec who nodded.  His boyfriend looked about as shell-shocked as Magnus felt and he hoped Alec remembered how to speak before the panel began.  It would be awkward to do all the talking.

As the moderator moved up to the stage, Alec finally asked, “Do you think they’re all here for us?  They aren't lost?”

“Darling, you forget what an amazing writer you are.  Of course, they are here for us. Relax and have fun.” Under the table, Magnus rested his hand on Alec’s thigh, leaving it there until the muscle relaxed under his touch.  Alec shot him a grateful smile as the panel was about to begin. 

Alec couldn’t believe the crowd and when the moderator asked the first question, he was glad it was directed at Magnus.  Not only because it gave him a few more moments to compose himself but also because if there was one thing Alec loved in life, it was Magnus.  And, in particular, listening to Magnus speak about writing. The way he lit up, it was the most beautiful thing Alec ever saw. 

“I do a lot of my writing in a coffee shop,” Magnus said and Alec had to hide his grin behind his hand.  Somehow in the last year, they’d managed to maintain their anonymity with the general public. Everyone knew now what Gideon Day and Augustus Darkhallow looked like but they didn’t realize that there was a family law attorney and a coffee shop owner with the same faces in New York.  Eventually their luck might run out, but for now, life continued on as it had, but without their secret hanging between them. 

Alec’s eyes darted out to the crowd who were chuckling at Magnus’s response.  “Yes, I know it is about as cliche as they come but it is where I spend a lot of my time.  So, I tend to write either at the coffee shop or in bed next to the man I love.” 

The moderator nodded and said, “You have both been open about the fact that you are in a committed relationship with another man.  Does your partner know about your writing and is he supportive of it?” It was all either of them could do not to laugh out loud at the seemingly innocent question.

Deferring to Alec, Magnus anxiously awaited his reply.  Alec swallowed and took a deep breath before saying. “Yes, he does know about it and is my biggest cheerleader.  When I get stuck at a plot point or need someone to talk through a scene, he is always there for me. He hasn’t always known.  At the beginning of our relationship, I didn’t know how to tell him. Parts of my family didn’t react well when they found out about my writing and so I kept it hidden for the longest time.  Even when I knew my boyfriend would be understanding, finding the words to say it out loud was difficult. And I’m sure Augustus here will agree with me that not having the right words is about the most frustrating thing that can happen for a writer.”

Magnus nodded quickly, understanding that frustration all too well.  “I had trouble telling my lover as well, not because of my family but because of an ex who thought that this genre, in particular, was an embarrassment to literature.  Whenever I met someone new, I worried that they would think the same way she did. So when I met my boyfriend, I kept it quiet. It got to the point that the longer I hid it, the more difficult it was to come out and tell the truth.  I worried I would have to hide it from him forever.” He glanced at Alec who gave him a reassuring smile. “When I finally told him, it turned out that he loved urban fantasy as much as I did. Just when I thought I couldn’t love him any more than I already did.”  The crowd went “Aw” as if on command and Magnus grinned when he watched Alec blush. If anyone was paying attention, they might have figured out what the two authors meant to one another. 

From there, the panel moved more in the direction of their respective works, the way they both worked underrepresented minorities into their novels, and what it meant to their readers.  Eventually, the panel was opened up to questions from the audience and the two of them spent twenty minutes answering questions about strange details that only fans would have noticed. “I thought only my boyfriend and I would have caught that,” Magnus laughed at a particularly obscure detail where his two main characters had a date on the same day in each of the books in the series.  “It was our anniversary and I wanted to honor it since the two characters are based on us.”

“And did you have to point it out to him?” Alec prompted.  Magnus recognized that teasing glint in Alec’s eye but knew it was directed at Alec himself, not Magnus.  “Or did he figure it out on his own?” 

Magnus chuckled and shrugged.  “I may have needed to point it out to him.  Though that was hardly his fault. Like I said, it was an obscure detail.  I know how much he loves me, even if he didn’t notice our anniversary in the books.”  The smile he received in return, warm and hopelessly fond, made Magnus’s heartbeat in double time and he wanted to kiss Alec right there on the spot.

While they were busy smiling at each other, another fan came to the microphone.  “For the past two months, you’ve both been teasing that you were going to announce something at this panel and I was wondering if you were still going to do that or if it was postponed.”  The poor girl looked like she was trembling and Magnus felt bad for making her even feel like she needed to ask that question. They really had meant to announce it before the room was opened up to questions but then all the questions would have been about that and not the other things both Alec and Magnus knew people wanted to ask about.

He smiled warmly at her, trying to relieve any of the nerves she obviously had.  “Of course. We thought you all might like to get a few other questions out of the way first but I say there is no time like the present.  Do you want to go first, Gideon, or shall I?”

Alec rolled his eyes and Magnus nearly laughed out loud at that.  “I’m happy to go first, Augustus, thank you.” Alec opened up a folder he had in front of him, reading over the top page one last time.  Magnus knew what he was doing. A stalling technique because the moment they let this little secret out, it would be all anyone wanted to talk about with them for the rest of the convention.  

“So, as you know, we obviously write in the same genre and have very similar interests in stories, even if we approach them from very different angles.  Last year, Augustus pointed out that my plots are long and meandering, full of twists and turns while his are far more straightforward. Likewise, often time my characters come off a little two dimensional while his seem like people you could run into on the street at any moment.”

They’d discussed how they wanted to do this so Magnus picked up right where Alec left off.  “Which got us to thinking about what it would be like if there was a book that had his plot with my characters.”  An excited chatter began to fill the room and Magnus knew they caught on to half of what they were announcing. “So, for the past year, we set out to do just that.”

“Through many hours spent in that coffee shop,” Alec continued, “we are happy to announce a new series of books co-written by the two of us.  The first one is due to be published at the beginning of the year and we have been given permission to show off the cover art for it today. If you are interested in seeing it?”

The deafening roar of the applause told them all they need to know and the two men beamed at each other.  “I’ll take that as a yes, don’t you think, Gideon?”

“I think so.” Alec picked up the large poster of the book cover they brought to show everyone and waited for Magnus to nod before starting to unroll it. 

As he did that, Magnus explained, “Today, we are happy to present for the first time ever, the first of many books we intend to write together.  Alicante.”

Glancing at the image, Magnus was struck with the amazing art Clary did for it.  The New York skyline superimposed over a city made entirely of glass. The title of the book was printed in a strong, bold font at the top.  And at the bottom were the two authors’ names. 

_ Augustus Darkhallow-Day and Gideon Darkhallow-Day _

“I think we have time for one more question,” Alec said as the shrieks of excitement started to die down. “And I have a feeling that I know exactly what that question is going to be.”

A man with eyes shining with tears approached the microphone and asked, “Both of you have been an inspiration to me, not just as a writer and a reader, but also as a gay man.  Please tell me that the changes to your names mean what I think they mean.”

Magnus reached out and took Alec’s hand, squeezing it under the table.  “If you are asking if we are married, then the answer is yes. Gideon and I have been together for almost five years now and we married three weeks ago in a private ceremony in Brooklyn.  It was the happiest day of my life.”

The crowd cheered again and Alec noticed several people stick their heads in to find out what all the commotion was about.  Relief flooded through them both at the knowledge that their fans were happy for them and excited for the new novel. “This novel and the series that it headlines is a labor of love for us both.  Gideon and I have both wanted to work together for some time and this gave us the perfect opportunity. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it for you.”

After the moderator thanked everyone for coming, the panel was closed but many people stayed behind, wanting a moment to talk to them both.  One question, in particular, stood out and Magnus laughed, particularly after noticing the blush that colored Alec’s cheeks. “You said that for a while you didn’t realize your partner was a writer.  Considering how famous you both are, how is that even possible? I mean, did you never notice the fact that your novels are right next to each other in the bookstore? Darkhallow and Day are literally one after another in the alphabet.”

It wasn’t something either of them had ever addressed with their fans.  If they really looked into it, they would see that neither Gideon Day and Augustus Darkhallow actually existed.  Magnus smiled at them and took Alec’s hand in his own. “You do realize that those aren’t our real names, right?  When we both started out, we each had our own reasons for writing under a pseudonym. So when I met him, I didn’t meet Gideon Day.  I met the love of my life and my now husband, who happens to be a writer.”

He could have just left it at there, let the fans figure the rest of it out for themselves or make whatever assumptions they were going to make.  Instead, Magnus grinned and smirked at Alec who rolled his eyes. He no doubt knew what Magnus was about to do. “Actually, we didn’t even tell each other the truth.  It was more of a coincidence. Last year, we were both asked to do this panel, not knowing the other one would be here too.” A fan gasped as they figured out what Magnus was about to say.  “So, we figured it out when we were both on stage, trying to understand why the other one was there as well.”

“It was a little awkward,” Alec said, understating it a bit.  “When you find out that the man you were planning on proposing to is also the author who has caused you more jealousy and insecurity in your career than any other, it is a bit of a shock.”

It was to the credit of their fans that none of them asked what their real names were.  Whether they were still processing it and didn’t think to actually ask the question or they were respecting Magnus and Alec’s privacy, neither of them knew.  That might change when word of it got to Twitter but that was an issue for another day. Both of them knew that someday their identities would become known and they would cope with it when it happened.  No sense in worrying about something until it was an actual problem.

The crowd around them died down and soon enough, Magnus and Alec were yet again the only people left in the room.  With everything out in the open, Magnus didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around Alec and pull him in for a kiss. Their lips moved together in a well practiced dance and Magnus couldn’t help but smile.  He had two different careers he loved; being an author, his childhood dream, and owning the coffee shop where he met the love of his life. His husband was a strong, beautiful, talented man who loved with everything he had and was quite possibly the best person Magnus ever met.  

Alexander, the love of his life, was not only an accomplished writer in his own right but a hero as far as Magnus was concerned.  He went into court every day to protect the most innocent in society and every time he thought about it, Magnus fell a little more in love with him.  Seeing Alec with his clients, Magnus looked forward to the day they had kids of their own and he could imagine Alec and him writing stories just for their children.

With their writing as successful as it was, and the film and television deals now in place, neither of them needed to keep their second jobs.  Both could easily write full time if that was what they wanted, but Magnus loved his coffee shop and Alec loved the work that he did so they vowed to keep doing both for as long as it was feasible.  

“You want to go look around the convention and then get lunch?” Alec asked as the kiss broke.  They didn’t move away from one another, staring into their lover’s eyes. “I saw a little cafe not far from the hotel.  You want to go there? I wanted to try it last year but we didn’t really make it much past the hotel room.” 

Magnus smiled and nodded stealing one more kiss before taking a step back.  The next panel was due to start in a few minutes so they needed to get going to avoid causing a scene.  “I’d like that. But,” his eyes glinted mischievously, “last time, didn’t you take that Augustus Darkhallow fellow?  Are you sure you wouldn’t want to take him instead?”

Laughing, Alec shook his head and pulled Magnus out of the room.  “If it is a competition between Augustus and my husband, you will win every time.  Besides, I’m sure he understands, just like Gideon understands that you aren’t going out with him.  He has his husband and I have mine, and right now, Magnus, you are all I want.”

“As Alexander or as Gideon, you are my dream come true, my husband.  You are my fairytale, my epic love, my once upon a time.” Magnus couldn’t imagine a life better than the one he had and he hoped Alec felt the same.

Alec blushed and ducked his head for a moment, looking back up at Magnus a few seconds later.  “And they lived happily ever after?”

“That they did, darling.  That they did.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me on tumblr at [brooklynxmagic](http://brooklynxmagic.tumblr.com) or [astudyinfic](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com). Or twitter at [astudyinfic](http://twitter.com/astudyinfic).


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